Helpers: Part Three

 I “War-gamed” my helper operations. My problem is two fold. First, how to consist the helpers, EASILY, into the power consists of trains needing helpers. Second, how to bring helper locomotives back down grade so that they can be positioned to help another train.

It is the consensus of opinion that because the helper grade is inside a helix, the hidden track makes it difficult for an independent helper engineer to see what he is doing. The remedy for this was to place the helpers on the head end, as opposed to pushing. 

Because of the fact that there are two helix’s it was thought that leaving the helper engines with the train until the SECOND helix had been surmounted was the best plan. 

Operationally it just seemed better to have the helper engines MU’d with the road engines. 

How do we consist these engines quickly and easily. With NCE this requires a so called “Hammerhead throttle”. With Easy DCC it can be done easily with any throttle -BUT- it requires that so called “advanced*” consists we created prior to the session. 

If one can get one’s mind around the set-up of advanced consists, using this system SEEMS easy, no pun intended.  Helpers can be picked up and dropped anywhere, at anytime, using any throttle.

With NCE there is a Six step process, using the hammerhead throttle, to be honest probably the same process as with the easy DCC throttle, to pick up and consist a helper. Using these throttles one can add or drop helpers anywhere and anytime. The difference here is that with the NCE system I MUST buy and use the Hammerhead throttles to add and drop helpers. With Easy DCC I do not need to buy special throttles.

Cost wise if I was to buy hammerhead throttles only for road crew, and all other crews had simple throttles, this would accomplish what we need as far as adding and dropping helpers, using the NCE system.

The second issue is bringing the helpers back down hill. I had hoped that westbound trains** would stop and pick up a helper set***as they negotiated the layout westbound, and bring it back down grade. However a lot of modelers, I no longer call “Friends”,  are fighting me on this. They are not happy with this plan. Their main objections are that this does not seem to be prototypical and there would be union objections to this on the prototype.

If I “kow-tow” to these prototype nazis I’ll have to have someone actually bring the helpers down grade…

I think I’ll have to assign a rode engineer to pick up several helper sets, consist them together, and run them down hill under one order. If the helper sets come down grade as part of another train, they no longer require an order. As a single “train” of helpers they’ll need orders.

What do you think?


*Using Easy DCC and Advanced consisting each POTENTIAL paring of a locomotive consist is input into the command station memory. So if you have six helper consists, and six road engine consists, you would need to set up and save 36 helper/road engine advanced consists. I did some quick math for my “war game”, using just the locomotives I planned to use for coal operations, a fleet of P2K 2-8-8-2’s, and six helper consists. In order to cover all the potential parings I’d need to establish 96 advanced consists. I did not bother with consists for freight and passenger trains.

**Only eastbound trains get help.

*** Helper Set is a term I picked up from the Union Pacific in La Grande, OR. c.1980. La Grande is the summit of the blue mountains. La Grande is located in the Grande Ronde Valley, a high plateau. Trains are helped from both East and West up to La Grande, which at that time was a helper base. The yard long and narrow, most of the tracks were disappearing. The round house was gone but the turn-table was still there and functioning. The back shop building was still there, but leased to someone not affiliated with the railroad. Each Helper set was three SD40-2’s two facing one direction, one facing the other. At the time UP was rife with SD40-2’s. 




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